


Bad Hair Day

by universal_reno



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Angst, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Past Anakin/Rex if you want it, Post-Order 66, Protective Ahsoka Tano, Questionable Fashion Choices, Rex's Minor Mental Breakdown, Rexsoka if you want it, Sad boi Rex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23970631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universal_reno/pseuds/universal_reno
Summary: On the run in the aftermath of Order 66, Rex and Ahsoka discover that even happy memories can sometimes hurt.--Or, Rex pulls a Britney.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 1
Kudos: 88





	Bad Hair Day

**Author's Note:**

> Massive Anakin/Rex shipper here. I wanted to make a cute story about Anakin helping Rex dye his hair, but in honor of season 7 I made angst instead. Speaking as someone who has angry cut their own hair, please do not do this ^^;;

Light and the sound of sobbing filtered out from under the door of the refresher in the dingy motel room. Ahsoka blinked and rubbed her eyes. That wasn't normal. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, cringing when the worn out springs squealed in protest. The spot next to her where Rex had fallen asleep the night before was already cold.

She padded over to the other side of the room. The grit scattered over the cool tiles stuck to the soles of her bare feet. It had rained the day before, but Rex had insisted on going out to scrounge for food anyway and had tracked mud back in with him. His dirty boots were still by the door. 

"Rex? You okay in there?" She called, knocking on the door of the refresher. A particularly pained sob was all the response she needed. The lock gave way easily under the barest application of the Force and the door slid open. 

Rex was huddled in the corner where the wall and the counter met. He was stripped down to a pair of black leggings and his face was hidden behind his hands. Blood streamed from the side of his head. She hurried over and knelt beside him. 

"Rex! What happened?" She took his hands in her own, hoping to get a better look at him. Instead he lunged forward, pressing his face to her lekku. "Okay. Alright. I've got you." She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back. "Deep breaths. Just take it easy." 

Rex's blood began to drip down her lekku onto the oversized shirt she was wearing. That was his as well. One of his old PT uniforms. It hung off her smaller frame, but it was soft and comfortable and smelled like him, which was nice. She traced her fingers over his head, surprised to find bare skin under all the blood. The rest of his hair was still in place, a slightly overgrown mix of platinum ends and dark roots, but a long stripe had been shaved out of the side by his ear. 

"Rex, I need you to talk to me" she coaxed. "What's going on?" It wasn't like him to cry. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen it. Including now, four of them had been in the past month since everything had gone to hell. Not that she wasn't soundly beating his total there. 

Rex shook his head. She felt his halting exhale against her skin as he struggled to compose himself. "Sorry sir" he finally managed. 

"You have nothing to apologize for" she assured him. She held him for a few moments longer until his sobs died out and he looked up at her with wet, bloodshot eyes. 

"Hey there." She flashed a concerned little smile and wiped away leftover tears with her thumb. He returned the smile with one of his own. It was about the most pained expression Ahsoka had ever seen. 

"Let's get you cleaned up." She stood and pulled him with her, supporting him for the few steps it took to get to the tub. Once she had him sitting on the edge she fetched a clean washcloth and wet it under the tap. 

"You're not a very good barber" she teased as she began to dab at the cut on his scalp. It was barely an inch long and not very deep, but head wounds were always so dramatic. 

Rex grunted in acknowledgement. His eyes slipped closed as she worked. She couldn't resist running her fingers over his remaining hair once she'd removed the worst of the blood. Hair was fascinating to her. The clones had always worn such a variety of styles. She didn't have any of her own, as such. Even her lashes were more like the feathers of some avian species. 

"I'm afraid I'm not much better. But I can try to fix it for you" she offered. 

Rex swallowed and grimaced. "I think I just want to shave it all off for now." 

Ahsoka hummed in thought. She'd never much cared for that look. Jesse had pulled it off, more or less, but without all the tattoos she couldn’t imagine how it would work on Rex. She ran her hands gently over the sides of his head, mindful of the new cut as well as the still raised scar where his chip had been removed. "How about I try to leave the middle part? Like the men on Mandalore wear it." The style was a bit severe for Rex's kind eyes, but it was better than bald. 

Rex shook his head. "Please, sir. I...It's coming in dark again. Makes it more obvious what I am." There was an edge of pleading in his voice that tugged at her heart. 

"I can dye it for you if you want." She'd seen plenty of his brothers do that. It looked a lot easier than cutting. What’s more it always seemed to be a pleasant experience for the clones involved. She’d read about other cultures who had similar grooming rituals that helped them bond. Rex had been so meticulous about keeping up his color that she hadn't even realized it was dyed until recently. Maybe fixing it again would cheer him up. 

Or maybe not. She wasn't sure what her mistake had been, but she knew she'd made one when she saw the change in Rex's expression. She barely had a chance to gather him into her arms before the tears started again. 

"Oh no. Rex, I'm sorry" she soothed. "It's okay. We can shave it. That's fine." 

Ahsoka was more than perceptive enough to realize this wasn't actually about his hair, but she had no idea what the real issue was. He wasn't the type to break down over something so superficial. She settled for holding him in silence, not wanting to upset him more. 

“Anakin...General Skywalker... He used to help me fix the color. Knew I liked it.” Rex choked out around the tears. He pulled away to look her in the eye. “He’s dead, isn’t he?” 

Ahsoka bit her lip against the sudden tightness in her own throat and nodded. The last thing she’d felt from Anakin through the Force had been overwhelming pain. After that there was nothing. It was as though he’d been torn from his place in the universe, leaving a raw emptiness in his wake. Something about it felt wrong, but it was still too fresh to examine more closely. 

This time it was Rex who held her. He pulled her against his chest so tight she could barely breathe. She clung to him, short nails leaving unintentional little scratches across his back. Blood and tears mixed between them as they tried to hold each other together. 

Ultimately the moment passed, as all moments did. She pulled herself up from where she’d ended up curled in his lap. He found a clean corner of the washcloth from earlier and dabbed at her eyes. 

They finished his hair with a minimum of incident, though a few other minor cuts joined the first. When it was done Rex stood and looked in the mirror. He scowled, but it soon turned to a wry smile. 

“You were right. I look like an idiot.” He huffed a quiet laugh and shook his head. 

Ahsoka shrugged, unable to help a hint of a smirk. “Yeah, kind of. But it’ll grow back.” 

“It will.” Rex ran his fingers over his head and stared thoughtfully at his reflection. “Maybe we can go for 501st blue next time. Fives always said I should try that.” 

“Fives was a smart man.” Ahsoka couldn’t imagine Rex with blue hair. She was just happy he was considering letting her do it for him. She knew she could never fill the place Anakin had held in Rex’s heart any more than Rex could close the rift his passing had left in hers. They just had to keep moving forward together. 


End file.
